I don't know too much about the commerce commission but the sherman antitrust act was created due to bad trusts abusing their powers of having national power over a certain product and therefore holding a monopoly and a sort of dictatorship in a certain field. The sherman antitrust act was the first time the government officially intervened with private businesses and laborers. Pretty much the trusts overworked workers and skyrocketed prices and people complained. I'm blanking on the word for when "the government doesn't interfere with private businesses" but the government finally interfered with this act.
